King Kong’s 1933 debut was not just a terrifying monster movie, an epic fairy tale, and a tragic love story, it was also a landmark piece of cinema and the point of origin for deeply resonant cultural myth.

Its legacy encompasses a vast cinematic universe that includes ten movies (and counting), as well as novels, comics, television shows, collectibles, and even a Broadway musical.

In this extensively updated edition of the classic book first published two decades ago, King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon is the definitive chronicle of the most famous ape in pop-culture history. It spans the whole of the Eighth Wonder’s filmography, chronicling in detail the conception, production, release, and legacy of each Kong movie beginning with the 1933 original, through Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake, and on to the newest movies that place Kong within an ever-expanding “Monsterverse.” Author and Kongophile Ray Morton also offers entertaining detours through the character’s incarnations in other media, plentiful trivia, and reflections on the franchise’s enduring appeal. Packed with photographs and based on extensive new research and exclusive interviews, this is by far the most complete and comprehensive guide to all things Kong.

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